Tackling bike crime in Chichester city centre

POLICE hope to thwart bike thieves in the city as part of Operation Velo.

The scheme has been set up across West Sussex to offer free security marking for bikes, in an attempt to crack down on thefts in hotspot areas.

The next markings in Chichester are at Priory Park on Tuesday (April 15), between 10.30am and midday, and then again between 3pm and 4.30pm.

Chichester Police will use a bike register bronze kit to mark bicycles.

Marking is free and requires an email address and proof of identity.

Each bike then has a unique marking so officers, shops and potential buyers of secondhand bikes can check within minutes if it is stolen or in the wrong hands.

Sussex Police said: “Potential thieves will be put off from stealing in the first place knowing that they are more likely to get stopped, as well as knowing that the bicycle will be traceable back to the owner.”

There will be another marking session at the Cross on Thursday (April 17) between 4.30pm and 6pm.